


Ace of Maids

by Director_DZ



Category: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Genre: F/F, Hypnosis, Mind Control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:53:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24961849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Director_DZ/pseuds/Director_DZ
Summary: When Fate's investigation into a Lost Logia smuggling ring starts getting too close, the woman in charge takes drastic steps to make sure that the neither Ace of the Enforcer division nor her wife the Ace of Aces will get in the way of her plans. Can our heroes defeat her? And where are all these maid uniforms coming from? Find out, in Ace of Maids!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Like every morning, the alarm’s intrusive beeping was met with tired grumbles and threats of starlight breakers. And like every morning, such complaints were shushed by sweet, sleepy giggles and a good morning kiss.

They promptly resumed as soon as Nanoha’s favourite blonde pillow began to rise from the bed and turned the alarm off.

“Five more minutes…” She whimpered, trying to snuggle closer. But, alas, Fate was having none of it.

“We need to get up,” she said, not unkindly, and tried not to melt immediately as her beloved turned her puppy dog eyes on her. “We have work!”

“Work won’t mind. We’ll tell them that the alarm didn’t go off. Maybe it malfunctioned or something.”

[I can be shot.] Chirped a certain red jewel on the bedside table.

“See? Perfect solution!”

Fate gave the device a bemused glare. “Now don’t you start. Come on Nanoha, up, up! I’m working on an important case today, I can’t be late.”

“Mph. Fate-chan can be so cruel.”

But despite the whining, the two women were soon up and about their normal morning routine. A quick workout, a quick wash – which wasn’t that quick, because Nanoha always got handsy in the shower, but Fate had planned for that – and a quick trip through their professional wardrobes, and soon the pair were sat down at the kitchen table for a sensible breakfast, both aces ready for the day ahead.

“Sho…” Nanoha started, and then paused to swallow her toast. “So what’s today’s big case, anyway? Something interesting?”

“Sort of. It’s a big smuggling ring. Obviously I can’t go into too many of the details, but we think they’re dealing in Lost Logia.” Fate scowled as she drank her orange juice. She had far too many bad memories of Lost Logia cases. “But when you get big, you make mistakes, and make yourself a bigger target. We’ve got a few leads – with any luck we’ll be able to take them down quickly before the situation escalates.”

“Oh wow. That’s a big one.” Nanoha smiled. “That’s my Fate-chan, bringing all the bad guys to justice!”

Just as planned, that got a bright blush out of the blonde. “Y-you do the same, Nanoha!”

“Not at the moment. I’m still on instructor duty right now. You’re still out there saving the day…” If the words sounded wistful, it was an illusion. Nanoha Takamichi had found a passion for teaching, one that often had her student labelling her as a devil. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t admire her partner. Or tease her, for that matter. “It’s a good thing too, because if your job wasn’t so important I’d pin you to the table and-“

“Nanoha!” The blush went luminescent as the Ace of Aces laughed. Fate was far too much fun to toy with.

Alas, soon it was actually time to get to work. The couple tidied the plates away and left their apartment together, going as far as the driveway before parting with one last kiss. Then Fate got in her car and drove away, while Nanoha began to walk. The academy wasn’t far away, after all, and while she could have flown, Shamal had asked her to take it easy on the magic after her injury. Which was a shame, but not too difficult to deal with. After all, it gave her time to plan out the day’s activities and training exercises.

It was such thoughts that occupied her mind that morning, and thus distracted her enough that she didn’t notice the black van which had begun to follow her down the road.

“Excuse me, Miss Nakatoma?”

Nanoha twitched, her concentration broken. Why did people always…?

“Actually,” she said, turning around. “It’s Na-“

FLASH

“Na… Na… Na…” Light filled the ace’s senses, brightness reaching into her so deeply that it whited out her very thoughts, drowning out her mental voice completely. Helplessly she stared forward, eyes fixed on the point where the flash had originated, unable to do anything more than mindlessly repeat herself.

“Get her in the car,” said a strict female voice, and the dazed woman felt hands seize her under the shoulders and all but throw her into the waiting van – the open door rolling shut behind her. The floor rumbled as the magical engines spun, and then the floor tilted as the car tore upwards into the sky, vanishing off down the skyway. She’dve been knocked from her feet had it not been for the dark suited men who still held her.

“What… What’s going…” The haze was starting to clear, though Nanoha’s thoughts were still jumbled and slow. And her confusion just got worse as she was roughly shoved into a seat, head reeling. 

“Miss Takamichi.” Across from her sat a woman dressed in a dark business suit, her button up jacket neatly pressed over a trim white shirt. She had long blonde hair – and for a moment the Ace was reminded of Fate, but no. No, this was a darker, messier shade, and there was no way to confuse Fate’s warm, caring eyes with the ice-cold blue pools she found herself staring into now. The woman had the gaze of a shark.

“Who…?” Nanoha blinked desperately, trying to clear the light from her eyes and her thoughts, but it clung like sticky honey, leaving her mind thick and slow.

The woman smiled – a small, tight expression that never touched her eyes – and spoke in a clipped, confident tone. “Miza L. Thorne. I’m an acquaintance of your wife. I wonder, has she mentioned me? She’s been very interested in my affairs these past few weeks – does she talk about her work over the dinner table?”

Nanoha winced, eyes still fluttering. “My… Fate?” She answered, her voice uncertain. “No… I don’t think so…” There was something wrong about all of this, but her head was just too thick, she couldn’t put the pieces together…

“No? Then her diligence is most impressive. Just what I’d expect from the Ace of the Enforcer division – though I must admit, I expected more from the fabled Ace of Aces.”

“M… More?” She was being talked about now, Nanoha suspected. Her thoughts were slowly beginning to pick up pace again. Just a little longer and she’d be able to figure out what was going on and respond to it properly.

“Mmm. I thought you’d present at least some challenge, at least. Look here, please.” She held up something small and thin with a glass tip – a pen, maybe?

She was almost there now, she could feel it. Her thoughts were starting to stitch back together, the light finally starting to leak away, her mind beginning to-

FLASH

The pen tip lit up – and this time it wasn’t light that filled the Ace’s gaze. The tiny point her eyes were focused on was suddenly full of swirling, unimaginable colours, twisting and writhing around one another in indescribable patterns. The small picture consumed her vision, filling everything she could see, eclipsing everything about the dark scene around it. It was… captivating… Enthralling…

… Entrancing…

Waves of spiralling green and blue washed over her, crashing against the rocks of her thoughts and washing them away. The world around her vanished in a maelstrom of yellows and pinks, her awareness sinking into the purple depths. Ships of memory drowned in seas of red. The flood of colour flushed through her mind, and sucked it away into oblivion.

Dimly, she felt a strange dampness beginning to spread over her chest, but she had not the thought left in her head to care.

“There we go. That’s it.” Distantly, she could hear a voice. Something told her it was a familiar one, but that something was washed away before it could tell her who it belong to. “Just stare into the Enslaver. Let it swallow your mind, and erase who you were. That’s the way.” There was a laugh, and the voice shifted, as though talking to someone else, but her ears could still catch the words, even if they didn’t comprehend them. “Doesn’t she look cute now, drooling her brain away? Ahh, to think even the great Ace of Aces could not resist.” 

There was a rustling, and the feeling of someone leaning in close – though Nanoha was only aware of the colours. “First the flash, to disorientate. Did you like it? It seemed most effective on you. Watching someone so powerful stutter like a fool over their name, so trapped in a mental loop that she couldn’t even understand she was being kidnapped… Ah, it was a rush. Overconfident women like you are always so satisfying to bring to heel. Even after you started to recover, you were still so suggestible, so malleable. You didn’t even think twice before looking where you were told, did you? And now you can’t think at all!”

Laughter echoed around her – both male and female, though the female was closest. The colours were vibrating through her, sinking to her core and seeping into her very essence. 

“Don’t worry though.” Fingers stroked the underside of her slack jaw, and then ran themselves through her copper brown hair. “I’ll be very happy to do all your thinking for you. You just sit there and let the colours show you the way.”

And though she couldn’t hear or understand a word, Nanoha Takamichi obeyed the command completely.

-

The last line of smugglers fell with a cry, smashed under Bardiche’s zanber blade, and Fate finally paused in her assault, taking a moment to recover her breath. Her white barrier jacket fluttered around her, barely marred by the fight she’d just been waist deep in. These thugs weren’t really worth sweating about – they didn’t even have AMFs to slow her down.

Which was pretty fortunate, really. After all, she was the only agent of the TSAB who’d made it on board the smuggler’s flagship before it had taken off – something to be said for being the fastest agent in the fleet, though Signum would be tearing her head off later for putting herself in such a dangerous situation.

There was no helping it though. This was the smuggler’s last ship. The bureau’s raid on their little complex had been an almost complete success, taking the criminals by complete surprise. Their organization had suffered a crippling, possibly fatal blow… But it would all be pointless if the leadership, with their knowledge and networks, managed to get away. If that happened, soon enough this mess would start all over again – and Fate wasn’t about to let that happen.

And so, her breath recovered, cloak swirling around her, she marched on towards the bridge of the craft. The metal doors to it were locked, of course, but they proved insufficient to stop a zanber blade grade lockpick, and fell apart before her. That just left her main target – and then this thing would be put to bed once and for all.

“Miza Lenthisilda Thorne,” she said, marching onto the bridge with the finality of the reaper come for the dying – though ironically, she did so without her scythe. “You are under arrest.” Her red eyes glared across the open room, ignoring all of the empty chairs and consoles and focusing on the woman seated in the middle of it all, in the captain’s chair. “If you surrender peacefully you will not be harmed in the process of being taken into custody. If you don’t…” Her grip on Bardiche shifted and her eyes narrowed. “… Then you will be.” 

She did not like Lost Logia smugglers.

But her target wasn’t the type to be intimidated. The captain’s chair spun around, and the grinning figure of Thorne turned to face her pursuer. “Fate Testarossa Harlaown! I didn’t realise we were going to be using full names today. Are you really all they sent?” She sniffed, looking disappointed. “And here I thought the TSAB were taking me seriously at last.”

“Oh believe me,” Fate muttered, advancing, her cloak fluttering in the artificial breeze. “I’m all that will be needed.”

"I most certainly do believe you," the villainess said, her smile growing wider. "After all, you're all that I need to complete my set!"

It was an odd line, and merited a half-second's hesitation. "et?" The Enforcer asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Oh yes. After all, you can't have one without the other, can you? You simply must collect both!" The woman paused, and then chuckled. "Oh, you do look so confused. Dear, step forward and show our guest what I mean."

There was movement to her left, and Fate spun around, weapon raised to confront-

"Nanoha?!"

She was unmistakable. Her beloved wife was standing beside her, her eyes distant and glassy, her smile blank and without spirit. It was as though she was looking at a doll that someone had made up in the image of her lover, not the woman herself. And yet it was most certainly, undoubtedly her. Fate knew it in an instant, even though she was dressed not in her military uniform, nor her casual clothes nor even her barrier jacket. No, instead she was wearing a black, frilly miniskirt with a dark bodice that covered little and exposed much, along with a white apron and a lace tiara. A maid's uniform. 

But ultimately the thing that caught the Enforcer's attention the most was the small, thin device that her wife was holding, and the bright flash that it gave off as soon as she laid eyes on it.

FLASH

Overpowering light seared the image into Fate's brain as Bardiche slipped from her suddenly slack fingers. "Na... Na... Na..."

"Oh how adorable, you even make the same noises. How perfect!" Fate's world was white, thoughts burned away by the flash, but still she felt it as the Smuggler captain rise from her chair and strode over to inspect her catch. Fingers entwined with her hair; hands slid asking the inner layers of her barrier jacket. And yet her eyes still remained focused on Nanoha, desperately struggling to comprehend what she was seeing.

"Na... Nanoha..." She reached for her lover, barely able to muster the will to raise her arm - but Thorne just chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Miss Harlaown - But she cannot hear you. You'll find that her senses have been quite... refined." Fingers danced before her eyes, just barely visible beyond the light. There was a ring of black metal wrapped tightly around one of them. “If you’re not wearing this ring, she cannot hear you – and that’s for the best. She’s become rather open minded since you last saw her.”

The Enforcer grunted, her hand rising to clutch her head. It was so difficult to think… but Nanoha needed her! "What... what have you done to her?"

“Mmm, you’re doing much better than she did,” Thorne giggled, her arms curling possessively around the dazed woman. “Still together enough to ask questions – but not enough to fight. Is it because you’re worried for her? Don’t be – she’s quite happy, in her own way. Why, she couldn’t even entertain the thought of sadness! Doesn’t that make you feel better?”

“Ngh… You…” It was easier to think around the smuggler’s words – they pounded into her head even as they pounded everything else out. She’d… made Nanoha happy? But no, that didn’t…

“It’s such a useful device. Oh, this Lost Logia, I mean. You see it in her hands? Take a close look, Miss Harlaown, do not take your eyes off it. But useful, yes! We call it the Enslaver – I’m sure it has a more technical designation, you know Belkan artefacts, but I’m a practical woman, I just call it what it is. And you can see it’s effective. One use and your strong, fierce wife, feared across the dimensional sea as the Ace of Aces is standing there mindlessly watching you struggle, not a thought in her head. And you, Miss Ace Enforcer…” A tongue swept gently up her cheek. “You’re helpless.”

Fate shuddered. Damnit, how could she have been so careless? Whatever this Lost Logia did, it had certainly worked quite a number on her – but it was only temporary. She could feel its effects starting to fade, even as her eyes focused upon it. If she could just keep Thorne talking, she might be able to break free of this haze. “H-how…” She gasped, putting all the effort she could muster into the words. “How have you done this…?”

“Oh, you’d like me to explain?” Fate felt herself shudder as the woman’s hand tangled itself in her hair, fingers curling greedily around her head. “Would the mighty Enforcer Harlaown like to know it all works? How the greatest agents of the TSAB were brought…” There was a pressure on her shoulders, and she found herself dropping down. “… To their knees? Heh. Why, I’d be glad to~”

“The first part is obvious, really. You’re already feeling its effects.” Someone stroked her hair, patting her on the head each time. “The bright flash, loaded with… Well, it wouldn’t be a Lost Logia if we understood it, but whatever punch it packs is certainly enough to leave the strongest of minds dazed and confused. Couple that with a moment of disorientation on the victim’s part, a little bit or surprise in the mix, and anyone would be helpless… So don’t feel too bad about falling for it.”

Then the woman clutching at her was gone, walking away and circling around Nanoha as she fell into lecture mode completely. “No, it’s the second part that’s the most fun. We thought it was just the flash at first, but it turns out that’s just the setup – something to keep the subject nice and docile while the real heavy machinery gets up and running. You see, the first part wears off. The second part does not – you can ask your wife if you don’t believe me.” She slid in and hung around Nanoha’s shoulders, kissing her on the cheek before flashing a smirk at her helpless victim.

“As for what it’s like… I couldn’t say for sure. After all, anyone who goes through it comes out the other end quite different. Quiet. Obedient…” The smuggler waved a hand in front of Nanoha’s face, getting no reaction at all. “Mindless. I’d say it probably feels quite nice, judging by the way they react to it all. And afterwards, they’ll obey any command given to them, so long as the commander is wearing this ring.” She held up her hand, dark ring glinting on her finger. “They’re a set, you see – the Eraser and the Controller. Like you and your wife. A pair of Aces.”

Ngh… This vile woman… To think such a device would fall into her devilish hands. But Fate’s ploy had worked. She could feel the strength returning to her limbs, the light washing from her eyes. The flash had been powerful, but Thorne was right – it was temporary. And like so many criminals in her position, she’d proven far too much in love with the sound of her own voice. 

“Well, it’s been fun chatting, Miss Harlaown,” said the Smuggler, apparently unaware of how much time she’d wasted. She released her slave and strode over to the kneeling Enforcer, bending down so she could look her in the face. “But we’ll be reaching our destination soon, and I want you in your new uniform before we land. So since you’ve been so sporting, I’ll grant you one small boon. Have you any last words to speak of your own mind?”

Fate looked up, her eyes practically glowing with rage. “A few.” Then she moved, barrelling into Thorne and spinning her around, locking the woman’s arms behind her before she’d even realised what was going on. “How does ‘You Are Under Arrest’ sound?” 

Thorne hit the ground with a pained cry, taken completely by surprise, still held tightly in Fate’s grip. “Wha- How- No!”

“A little repetitive, but I think they fit! But let me amend what I said earlier.” The Enforcer’s voice was little more than a snarl now, lightning crackling around her even though she’d restrained her target. In fact, had anyone old enough to remember seen her in that moment, they might have been scarily reminded of her long-departed mother. “It no longer matters if you surrender peacefully. If you don’t tell me how to undo what you have done to my wife, I will be introducing your face to every single surface this ship contains at speeds you have never even dreamed of!”

But Thorne’s response wasn’t what she hoped for – or expected. “Slave! Stop her!”

Slave? Fate’s brow wrinkled. Who…? Wait. She couldn’t be talking about-!

She looked up. “No, Nano-!”

FLASH

“As you command, Mistress~” There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation or pause in Nanoha’s blissfully happy voice as she lowered the device, her order completed. The fact that she’d just attacked her best friend didn’t seem to bother her in the least.

And as for said best friend…

Fate’s arms went limp once more, and Thorne quickly wiggled out from beneath her. Looking up, the smuggler smiled, the pain of her bruised limbs all too easily forgotten at the sight of the Enforcer staring blankly into the device, her jaw slack, drool already starting to drip from the edge of her lip. “Good job, slave,” the criminal sighed, her hammering heart beginning to slow. “Well done.”

Nanoha simply smiled, a shiver of pleasure running through her as her owner commended her performance. “I serve at your pleasure, Mistress.”

And Fate, of course, didn’t hear a word, still lost in a swirling world of colours and shapes that captivated her completely. All thoughts of her situation, of Thorne, of Nanoha, had vanished – the hypnotic power of the device had slid inside her and sucked them all away. The voice of her mind was silenced, her memories and instincts muted to nothing. 

All that existed was the spiral. The colours were her thoughts. The twists and turns were her mind. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered. The thrumming power that ran throughout her whole body commanded her, and she couldn’t resist but for a moment as it reshaped her mind into a more obedient, more compliant form.

“It’s time to serve, Miss Harlaown. Surrender now. Become my slave.”

And like her lover before her, Fate Harlaown obeyed the command completely.

-

“Ahhh.” Miza sighed as she strode into her hideout, kicking off her boots and jumping onto the waiting couch. Obviously, this place wasn’t as big as her base of operations had been, but it was comfortable and discrete – she’d be quite able to lay low here for as long as she needed until the heat had died down, and she could resume her criminal schemes. “Put the luggage down over there, girls. I’ll look through it later.”

“As you wish, Mistress~” Two voices responded as one, completely in sync, as the women following her stepped into the room as well. Both women were laden with heavy bags, the remnants of the stolen supplies they had managed to recover from the ship before abandoning it, but neither seemed to be bothered by the weight. Both of them wore identical black uniforms and white aprons, identical white tiaras balanced over identical blank smiles. 

The names Nanoha and Fate meant nothing to them. They were the Mistress’s maids. That was all there was to it.

“That’s what I like to hear.” The dirty blonde lay back, watching her slaves work, a smile on her face. This morning the pair had been one of the most feared duos in known dimensional space. Now, they were hers. Sure, her entire organization had just collapsed and she had to keep her head down for a while, but all in all? Pretty good day! “And now I have the greatest bodyguards a woman could ask for.” She beckoned them over. “Come here girls, I want to take a look at you.”

“Of course, Mistress.”

The pair walked up in lockstep, their every motion in sync, and posed demurely before her. There was a slight difference between them now – the brown haired woman choosing to stand with a hand on her hip, while the blonde clasped her hands in front of her – just a touch of demureness to complete the look.

“Lovely. And all mine.”

“Totally yours, Mistress~” Both maids smiled happily, blissful in their obedience.

Miza grinned, and then looked around. “Well, the cable’s out, and it’s going to be a while before we get this place hooked up properly. So in the meantime… How about you two put on a show for me? I want to see what the fabled Ace duo gets up to behind closed doors.”

She didn’t need to order it twice. In an instant, the two maids had turned to one another and surged into one another’s arms, their lips meeting so quickly one might think they had teleported. The blonde’s fingers quickly found the strings tying up her partner’s bodice, working with skilful dexterity to untie them and strip the woman down. This was in contrast to said partner, who simply seized the front of the blonde’s uniform and tore it apart.

She’d have to stitch that up later.

And as the two quickly divested themselves of their new uniforms and lowered themselves to the floor, Miza Thorne watched with satisfied glee. To think such a simple device could get her all this… What more could she have, if she tried? After all – there were three Aces out there in the world, not two. She had her set… But perhaps she could chase a full collection, in time. 

Until then… She had plenty of time to test and find out who was the true Ace of Maids.


	2. Chapter 2

“Clean that up for me, would you blondie?” Miza Throne leaned back and stretched her legs, shifting her feet around to get comfortable on her footrest. The lair had seen a fair bit of renovation over the past few days – having a pair of magical menial maids serving at your beck and call meant you didn’t feel need to be restrained about any heavy lifting that needed doing.

“Of course, Mistress.” The former Fate T. Harlaown had answered to many names over the years, but now found it much simpler to respond to ‘Blondie’, ‘Slut’, or an impetuous snap of her mistress’s fingers. She obeyed the order without complaint, setting down the wine glass tray she had been holding at her mistress’s side on a nearby counter. Then she pulled a cleaning rag from one of her apron pockets, before mincing over to the table to clean up the spill. Just as her training instructed her, she bent at the waist to get scrubbing, giving her owner a good show as her short skirt rode up, exposing that she wore nothing beneath.

“Mmm.” The head smuggler grinned, drinking in the view. “That is a wonderful ass. I can see why you got her locked down as fast as you could, babe.”

“Mistress?” Her footrest looked up at her blankly, not a single sign of comprehension in her eyes.

“Oh, nothing.” Thorne laughed, patting the former Nanoha Takamichi, Ace of Aces, on the rear. “Just some ancient history. Nothing that matters anymore.”

The empty minded maid still didn’t really understand – her capacity for the kind of complex thought required for that had been drummed quite thoroughly out of her head. But she did at least get that her owner wasn’t giving her any new orders, and thus the matter could be safely forgotten.

“Now, where was I?” The smuggler turned her attention back to her attention back to her electronic pad. “Mm, getting everything set back up is taking much less time than I thought it would. I was sure that fixing everything you broke when you smashed my group and arrested nearly all of my men…” She paused for just long enough to smack her blonde maid as she passed. “But it seems that word that I defeated the two most feared women in the TSAB has gotten out, and now everyone wants to sign on! Imagine what they’d want if they knew what I did with you… Well, now that’s an idea I’ll save for later~”

“Still, isn’t this good news? We’ll be back in business in no time. And with my two new Ace enforcers… I think we’ll be ready to start hitting some real targets. What do you say?”

“Whatever you wish, Mistress,” was the not exactly informative, and yet entirely accurate joint reply.

“Ah. Yes. Not much point in asking, was there?” Thorne sighed. “That is a problem. You’re wonderful at following orders, but not so great at taking the initiative. I’ll have to find a way to compensate for that or having you two fight for me is going to be a disaster.”

She returned her attention to her pad, before glancing at the black ring on her finger. “Still, for the moment I can just control you directly. Yes, I rather like the thought of that… Giving the order, and watching you two blast apart everything you once held dear.” She flexed her fingers in consideration. “Of course, if I’m going to be ordering you about all day, I’d better make sure that this thing is fully charged!”

Sliding the ring from her finger, she held it up to the light. The air around it seemed to ripple, as if the power it contained could be felt even without activating it. Such a useful find. To think – that archaeologist hadn’t had a clue what he was giving away when he’d sold his finds to her. Ah, greed – what a wonderful thing it was. It certainly kept businesses like hers running…

-

“She’s taken it off. Let’s go.”

“Not yet. She’s still too close. We don’t know if there’s a residual bond, or if she actually needs to be wearing it or if just holding it is enough.”

“We’ll be fast enough, she won’t have a chance to-“

“None of us are faster than Testarossa. Wait.”

“… I don’t know how much more of this I can watch.”

“I understand the feeling.”

“That’s why we have to get this right.”

-

Throne rolled the ring around her palm. “I suppose that neither of you can hear me at the moment,” she muttered idly. Predictable there was no response from either of the two maids, who simply continued to perform their duties as previously bidden. “Well, no matter. Eventually I’ll work out how to make you obey me without it. And until then I don’t be letting this thing out of my sight.” 

She stopped, reluctantly taking her feet from Nanoha’s back, and drifted across the room, stopping once or twice to grope her companions and marvel at their lack of response.

-

“I’m going in there!”

“Not. Yet.”

“Let me smash!”

“Just a little longer, Vita.”

-

Finally, she reached the other side of the room, where the catalogue of stolen magical artefacts was kept – including the charger for the ring. “Annoying that the batteries on this thing don’t carry infinite charge, but I guess nothing is perfect.” She shrugged, slotting it into the holder. “As long as it keeps the two of you on my leash, I’ve nothing to complain about. And in the meantime-“

That was when the wall exploded, and three women coated in burning rage – and no small amount of actual fire – began their assault.

Oblivious to the sudden escalation of violence, the two maids blissfully continued fulfilling their duties, standing or kneeling without so much as a change of expression on their faces. Even the cries of their mistress calling for their aid as she desperately dodge gigantic hammer strikes and blazing sword swipes elicited nothing.

Unprepared and unequipped, the smuggler never really stood a chance. In moments she was caught in a bind, her arms and legs completely restrained by magical chains. “H-how!?” She cried, half in astonishment, half in rage. “How did you find me?! This place is untraceable, the back end of the dimensional sea! The TSAB has no reach here!”

“That was simple.” Speaking calmly, the leader of the trio, easily recognizable in her barrier jacket as Yagami Hayate, stepped forward, approaching the ring’s charging station. “You subdued Nanoha and Fate by luck and surprise, not skill. A skilled opponent would have known to do something about their partners, too.”

Thorne scowled. “Their partners? Who-“

[Location Confirmed.] A male voice echoed from across the room.

[Signal Sent.] A female one joined it.

[Target Annihilated.]

[Thank You Commander.]

“You’re welcome, Raising Heart. Bardiche.” Hayate nodded to the devices, which still hung around their owner’s necks, before looking back to the prisoner. “They couldn’t do much without their partners, but working together they managed to send a signal strong enough to penetrate your bunker’s walls and tell us everything that happened.” Her eyes narrowed. “Including what you did to two of my oldest friends.”

Ah. This, the smuggler decided, was bad. She was completely at the mercy of enemies who had no reason to grant her any, and they already knew everything .That didn’t give her much in the way of leverage – but Miza Thorne was a gambling woman, and she was prepared to go all or nothing on the hail Mary. When you have nothing to lose, may as well go for broke, right?

“Oh. Oops. Clumsy me. Guess I should have checked with the girls to make sure they couldn’t be tracked. Of course, after I hollowed out their heads that much I doubt either of those bitches would have-“

There was a very cold, very sharp feeling pressed against her throat.

“I would be very careful about what you say,” said the sword’s owner, a pink haired knight who’s voice was frighteningly calm. “Unless you wish for your words to cost you your head.”

Perfect. Just the reaction that the smuggler had been hoping for.

“How charming. Nice to see that the TSAB is just as ruthless as ever. But you forget – I’, the only one that knows what my Lost Logia did to your friends. If I die, that knowledge goes with me. So go ahead, strike me down – and seal their fate in the bargain.” She grinned. “Well? I’m waiting.”

The room fell into a tense silence. One that was only broken when the third attacker, the short one with the hammer, snorted.

“It can’t be that bad. Here.” She stomped over to the kneeling maid and grabbed her shoulders, shaking hard. “Oi! Wake up, idiot!”

For a moment Thorne worried that it might actually work – that her control might really be that fragile. But no, to her relief, Nanoha didn’t register anything. Not even a blink! No matter what the woman tried, it got no reaction. There was no reaching their friend.

“You know,” the smuggler finally chimed in, her confidence growing by the second, “this is a rather small operation for the TSAB, isn’t it? What’s wrong, not enough funding to rescue two of their top agents? Or…” Her grin widened. “Or is this an unofficial visit? Something off the record to protect your friends reputations? My my, how very naughty of the fabled ace of the ground forces… But maybe this means we can make a deal, hm?”

“…” You could practically see the silence hanging over the room. No one - well, no one save Thorne, anyway – seemed happy about the idea. Hayate remained quiet for a long moment, before looking between her companions. There was a vibe between them as their gazes met, as if they were talking without words. And then, finally, she spoke. 

“Any objections?”

“I fail to see an alternative,” the pink haired knight admitted.

“Do it,” the shorter one answered in the same instant, seeming far more eager.

Yes! Thorne nodded. “Great! Well then, release me and provide a way off world, free of pursuit and with a modest amount of spending money, any I’ll-“

“Oh, no.” Hayate interrupted her. Something was wrong. The commander’s mood had changed. She suddenly seemed a lot more… not cheerful, no, but… energetic. Perky. It was a very noticeable shift from how serious she’d been but a moment ago. “You misunderstand! We weren’t debating letting you go. You’re a vicious, nasty criminal who enslaved and abused our closest friends!” There was a malicious edge to her smile. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Thorne blinked. What? “Then… Then what were you agreeing to?”

Hayate’s smile didn’t slip an inch. “Vita?”

“Yeah yeah, I found it.” The short agent passed something to the commander – something small, thin and sliver…

Thorne recognised it instantly. “Wh-what are you doing with that?” She asked, suddenly feeling the need to test her restraints – but they were as strong as ever.

“Why, I’m confiscating a dangerous Lost Logia from a known and wanted criminal!” Hayate explained innocently. “Sadly, in the process there was a struggle, and before we knew it the criminal ended up the victim of her own- Ah, Signum, stop her from squirming, please.”

“Of course.” Strong hands gripped her shoulders, and Miza found herself unable to even turn her head.

“No!” She shouted, trying to close her eyes, only to find them being pried open. “You can’t!”

“It’s interesting. You’d probably be right if you were talking to Fate or Nanoha. But they’re not here right now to talk me out of this.” The Enslaver hovered before her eyes. “And there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to save my friends.”

FLASH

Even knowing what was coming couldn’t help her avoid it. White light flooded into Miza’s mind and wiped everything clean, leaving her thoughts slow and thick. The world around her seemed to drain of all colour, and she swayed helplessly in her captor’s arms.

“Looks like that part works fine,” said the distant voice of Hayate, echoing across waves of white. “You can let her go, Signum. Now, Miza, tell me – do you actually know how to undo what you did to Nanoha and Fate?”

There was a reason she shouldn’t answer that, Miza thought. But for the life of her she couldn’t think what it was. All the under layers of the conversation, all the tensions and implications and subtleties, they have all vanished for her, smoothed away by the white. So she just answered, her voice shrouded in dream. “No.”

“Mm. I thought not. Oh well.” The commander sighed, and then raised the Enslaver once again. “In that case we’ll have to work it out from scratch. Good thing we have a volunteer to test on. Look here, Miza.”

Still swaying in her light induced haze, unable to heed the part of her mind that was screaming out in warning, Miza obeyed the command.

FLASH

And then the rest of the white washed world was gone, and she was staring into a new reality of colours and shapes. Hypnotic power poured into her, and her stunned mind couldn’t resist. No, in fact, it was more than that- the colours spun and pulled in ways that made her greedy heart quiver with desire. She wanted them. She needed them. She had to have them!

Desire so firmly took hold of her that she couldn’t help but open herself up to the device’s mesmeric embrace, even though part of her knew what would happen. She fove head first into the maelstrom, snatching and grabbing at every shape and colour she saw on the way down – even as each one that she touched erased more and more of who she’d been, she couldn’t stop.

Her name vanished.

Her will vanished.

The part of her that knew vanished.

And then at last, as even her greed dissolved into nothing, the nameless woman sank into the blissful centre, and stopped thinking entirely.

-

“… I think she’s gone.” Commander Yagami deactivated the Lost Logia and sighed as she watched Thorne continue to drool onto her chest. “Yeah, she’s done.”

“It’s what she deserves,” Vita muttered, arms folded. The rage on her face only built higher every time she looked over to the other side of the room, where Nanoha and Fate still waited, faces blank, oblivious to everything but their programming.

“I can’t argue – though I wish this wasn’t necessary.” Signum was as stoic as ever, but Hayate knew her well enough to know that her sense of honour loathed what she was allowing to happen. But at the same time she also knew that the knight’s focus had never left her enslaved friends, not even for a moment. 

“I know, I know.” The commander sighed again. “But here we are.”

She waved a hand in front of Thorne’s blank face. No reaction. “Right,” she muttered, plucking the ring from its charging seat. “Now let’s figure out how we can fix this…”

-

“Ugh. I can’t believe I got suckered like that,” Nanoha rubbed the back of her head, her embarrassment plain. “If it happened to one of my trainees, I’d never let them hear the end of it…”

“It wasn’t your fault Nanoha,” Fate said gently, stroking her wife’s back. She wasn’t normally so affectionate while on duty, but Hayate’s office was private enough that she didn’t feel the need to worry.

“I mean, I got both of us captured…”

“No. You were ambushed somewhere that you should have been safe.” Fate’s eyes darkened. “And I will be finding out how Miss Thorne got access to so much information about us.” She looked across the desk to Hayate. “Which would be easier if I could question her. Has there been any change in her condition?”

But the commander shook her head. “No. Whatever she was messing around with in her lair blew up in her face. If either of you remember anything…”

Both women shook their heads. “Sorry. My memory goes blank right after she pulled up next to me. I guess she knocked me out right away. After that, nothing until I woke up in the infirmary.” 

“It’s the same for me,” Fate sighed. “I got to the bridge, and then everything gets hazy. I… She said something about Nanoha…”

Hayate shook her head. “It’s fine. No matter. Shamal will be looking after her for now – I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

The pair nodded. “Okay. Well! I’m finally back on duty, so I’ve got kids to train! I’ll see you later commander. And I’ll see you…” Nanoha giggled and prodded her wife. “Tonight~”

And with that, the Ace of Ace’s skipped out of the door, and hurried back to work.

Fate couldn’t help but smile after her. “I swear, sometimes I think she loves her job more than she loves me.”

Hayate rolled her eyes. “Like hell. It’s not even close. She’d set her trainees to invade the capital if you told her you’d flash her for it.”

And there was the luminescent blush, right on schedule. “Haya- Commander!!!”

The brown haired Ace grinned. “It’s good to have you back, Fate.”

Grudgingly, the blonde shook her head. “It’s good to be back. Now do you have Thorne’s file? I’d like to go over the last few loose ends, make sure we’ve seen the last of her foul little group.”

“Of course. It was here somewhere…” Hayate nodded and pulled open a draw, flipping through the folders within. “Thorne… Thorne…”

“Uh…”

Fate’s surprised gasp drew Hayate’s attention immediately. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

But the blonde wasn’t looking at her. Instead her eyes were firmly rooted on something in her desk drawer. “What’s… that…?” She pointed.

Hayate followed her, and then paled. The black ring that she’d confiscated from Thorne was there, laying at the top of everything. And Fate’s eyes were glued to it.

“I feel like… I’ve seen… that… Somewhere…” 

Hayate looked up at her friend and was surprised to see a distant glaze growing in her eyes. The tension was leaking out of the woman’s body at a steady rate, her arms falling limp at her sides even as her jaw began to go slack…

The desk drawer slammed shut.

“Sorry! Looks like I don’t have the file.” The commander smiled at the enforcer over her desk.

Fate’s eyes fluttered, and she shook her head, coming back to herself. “Ah, oh. Sorry, I must have spaced out.” She took a breath, and all signs of haze vanished. “I guess I’ll request the file to my office. Thanks anyway, Commander. I’ll see you soon.”

“Don’t mention it, Fate.” Hayate waved her friend away, before her eyes returned to her desk drawer, possibilities unfurling in her head. “Don’t even think it.”

Maybe there was some fun she could have here after all…


End file.
